Injured Cavs take positive step toward possible Game 3 return

Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter all participated in shootaround on Friday morning.

The Cleveland Cavaliers could be getting a much-needed shot in the arm heading into a near must-win Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers. Their three injured players, Darius Garland (toe), Evan Mobley (ankle), and De’Andre Hunter (hand) participated in shootaround on Friday morning. All three are still listed as questionable for Friday’s game.

Shootaround participation isn’t the best indicator of whether or not someone can play in a postseason game. There’s no contact at shootaround. It’s just a quick morning warmup ahead of the game.

That said, it’s still encouraging since these three players didn’t take part in morning shootaround ahead of Game 2. Each was listed as questionable ahead of Game 2, even though it didn’t seem like any of them were true game-time decisions. That seems to be different today.

While head coach Kenny Atkinson was cryptic about whether or not the questionable players would play when asked about it after practice on Thursday, there has been growing optimism that some combination of these three could be back on the court.

The Cavs need all the help they can get. Atkinson talked about overextending his top players after Game 2. That showed through in the final minutes on Tuesday as the Cavs made mental and physical lapses down the stretch to cough up a game they absolutely should’ve won.

Adding three top rotation players would provide considerable depth even if they aren’t at 100% or can’t carry their normal workload.

The Cavaliers haven’t had anything go right for them yet this series. Getting some of their core players back would be a positive step in the right direction as they look to climb out of their 0-2 hole.

Update: Shams Charania went on the Pat McAfee show to say that Garland is expected to play. Mobey is less concrete, as there are still issues with him putting weight on his foot.

“All three, to my knowledge, are aiming to go into tonight’s game with the intent to warm up and play,” Charania said.